Hunters produced by Amazon Studios, Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and Sonar Entertainment, was created by David Weil, who serves as executive producer and co-showrunner alongside executive producer Nikki Toscano.
The show follows a diverse band of Nazi hunters living in 1977 in New York City. The Hunters, as they’re known, have discovered that hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials are living among us and conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the U.S. The eclectic team of Hunters will set out on a bloody quest to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their new genocidal plans. The series stars Al Pacino, Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton, Josh Radnor, Carol Kane, Tiffany Boone, Greg Austin, Louis Ozawa, Kate Mulvany, Saul Rubinek, Dylan Baker and Lena Olin. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directed the pilot and is an executive producer. The series also is executive produced by Peele and Win Rosenfeld from Monkeypaw Productions; Nelson McCormick; David Ellender from Sonar Entertainment.
We sat down with cast members Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton, Josh Radnor, Carol Kane, Tiffany Boone, Greg Austin, Louis Ozawa, Kate Mulvany, and Saul Rubinek to talk about the show.
The Knockturnal: What’s it like for your character Jonah, processing the generational trauma passed down from your family from the holocaust?
Logan Lerman: That’s a tough first question. What’s it like processing it? You know well I can say it’s not too dissimilar to my upbringing anyways. I’m Jewish and my family, we’re survivors of the holocaust. So it’s something that was present in my mind so I can kinda relate to it when going into this experience and trying to understand Jonah and this world.
The Knockturnal: And what’s Jonah’s internal struggle like throughout the series when he sees the Nazi trials. What’s his inner monologue like?
Logan Lerman: Well the center of this series, it revolves around my character’s journey into this group of hunters that are going around to track down Nazis and bring them to justice. But at the center of it is a moral question about does it take evil to fight evil? Do you have to become a bad guy to effectively fight the bad guys? And we explore that with Jonah and through these scenes of interrogation and then torture. It definitely makes us, as audience members question whether this is right or wrong. It’s an interesting way of exploring that, you know that question of morality really. It’s interesting.
The Knockturnal: You have a great cast working alongside you. How’s it like working with them and with Al Pacino?
Logan Lerman: Oh it was insane, it was really cool. It was a great group of actors, you know? All-around and we were all dedicated to the show and in love with the writing, wanting to fully realize the best version of what this could be together. So it was a really great group. Yeah, just great collaboration. I’m really lucky with this group of people.
The Knockturnal: It’s a new project. Is there anything new you had to tap into within yourself for this project? From maybe previous projects?
Logan Lerman: Sure yeah. I mean I don’t want to give anything away. But there’s definitely moments, especially later on during the season, that are different for me in terms of characters that I’ve been lucky enough to portray and projects I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of. I haven’t had the chance to do something like this. I’m gonna leave it vague just so I don’t ruin anything for anybody that watches this, but there’s a big arc for my character later on in the series. We get to explore some really interesting scenes.
The Knockturnal: Sister Harriet is very sure of herself – is there something in her past that has forced her to be this way?
Kate Mulvany: Yeah absolutely. Her past is a lot more complicated than anyone realizes. And so she’s built a very very strong fort around her and yeah that’s kind of her only way to keep herself safe and sane.
The Knockturnal: Does Murray consider Jonah a son?
Saul Rubinek: Yeah. Very quickly … we have lost family in the past. We lost a son, he reminds us of a son we lost. And so, we have a real feeling of wanting to protect him instantly that we have to be careful of because he’s not our son and he has his own journey. I think it’s a part of our character’s journey is our relationship with Jonah as a surrogate son yeah.
The Knockturnal: Lonny is a bit reckless. Would you say that’s his biggest strength or his biggest weakness?
Josh Radnor: Sure yeah. Well, I think it’s probably both. I mean he, part of shtick is that he’ll say anything and kinda do anything. But I think it’s masking a certain kind of insecurity and he’s not entirely sure of who he is because he’s worn all these masks for so long. And I think part of the journey for him and throughout the series, is he kinda figures out who he is and what is meaningful to him and what gives him some meaning outside of the adoration of hoards of anonymous people that he’s never really going to meet and connect with. And I think he finds this family that gathers together on this mission, it’s a kind of warped mission but it’s a family nonetheless.
The Knockturnal: Are there any emotions that come up on set? Especially during the shooting sequences when you’re putting Nazis on trial?
Kate Mulvany: Yeah, of course there are. Because we all come, not just as characters but as actors with vastly different backgrounds and experience and memories. Part of our job is to make that real. And of course you do walk away, sometimes really exhausted after a day of torture. But also a reminder of the real true life story behind Hunters, which is the persecution of the Jewish population. So that’s something that we take very seriously onset and with each other.
Josh Radnor: For me I found in the reading of it and even in the watching of episodes, it wasn’t exactly the stuff we were doing, which has a more pop kind of almost fun but also supremely dark, but the flashback scenes of the Holocaust. Sometimes you’d be reading them or watching them and it just takes your breath away just how horrifying and then it almost helps you understand the stakes of without this, this other stuff doesn’t happen. And it contextualizes it in a way that was really shocking and scary.
Kate Mulvany: And also on set when you’d see someone dressed, that would always really bring it home.
Josh Radnor: Or rows of shirts with yellow stars.
Saul Rubinek: And also it’s going out to 200 countries, and one of the most horrifying things is about how history is not being taught properly in schools everywhere. And much of history is being rewritten and revised. And so it’s a kind thing that they flashback to these horrors, it relates to modern horrors.
The Knockturnal: So you play a Nazis, what’s your process look like for getting into character?
Greg Austin: Sure. Well obviously besides all the research you do looking at psychopaths throughout history and you get to the Nazi regime and how it influences society, apart from all that, going on to set what really gets me into the mind space of Travis is listening to music. And music is a very powerful way of evoking a certain emotion very quickly. So I normally listen to something heavy metal-y or rocky. Something that has some real kind of weight to it that makes me feel amped up and confident. So that’s like how I normally get into the mind space when I go onto set.
The Knockturnal: How much does Millie’s personal life and sexual orientation affect her work?
Jerrika Hinton: Oh well I mean, critically. She’s closeted. And so, she’s closeted working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation right after the era of J. Edgar Hoover. Who was notorious for prosecuting anybody that he thought was you know, “anti-American.” You can take that to mean what you will which frequently meant gay. And so when you got somebody who has to compartmentalize their life so heavily, naturally that’s going to affect their work. But I think also on a deeper, more emotional level, you know she doesn’t see reflections of herself in the world right? So she’s constantly seeking that out and I think that hunger, within her soul also feeds the hunger for which she pursues things through her cases, personally.
The Knockturnal: Are there any emotions that come up on set? Naturally, the subject matter is pretty heavy at times, is there anything that kinda comes up?
Greg Austin: Yeah, for me I’m in a constant battle in my own mind on set. Because Travis is this agent of chaos and purely narcissistic and self-assured, it’s a struggle for me to get there sometimes. It’s a battle of feeling good enough? I suppose, for me. It’s a balancing act, any role is that anyway.
Jerrika Hinton: I mean, there are definitely dark..there’s quite a bit of darkness in the show. So absolutely echoes of that kinda stick with you. I mean for me, when the day is done, go grab a glass of scotch and hang out with some friends.
Greg Austin: For sure. Yeah, essentially the same. Yeah go home and just pass out.
Question: Is there a favorite scene that you enjoyed filming?
Greg Austin: Yeah I’ve got an answer. But it’s spoiler-y. I’ll give an overview without spoiling it. Something that comes up later on in the season the very last episode, you get to see a little bit more to Travis’ history and background and the way he utilizes that is very interesting and says a lot about him. That’s what I’m most excited for people to see.
Jerrika Hinton: I mean I think about a couple of scenes that I’ve shared with Al Pacino. I think about a couple of scenes with Millie and her family … those are the kinds of things you know, I’m very excited to see for audiences to see them but I feel like I can’t say anything about them.
The Knockturnal: Do you have any funny on-set stories that maybe you can share?
Greg Austin: Oh God, where do you start? Like which one do you pick?
Jerrika Hinton: Right?
Greg Austin: A memorable moment for me, I was sitting in Long Island, with Al Pacino, Josh Radnor and Tiffany Boone, all on the couch, in between takes watching the Democratic National Debate, the second one I think, and me just going, Where the hell am I … and just nodding along and going yes, yes I know exactly what I’m talking about in politics. My opinion matters.
The Knockturnal: What kind of internal struggle is your character facing throughout the first half of the series, being a black woman fighting for a cause outside of the black panther movement?
Tiffany Boone: Yeah I think for Roxy, really her true fight, even though she is fighting for justice, is really for her daughter. She’s trying to take care of her daughter. That’s kind of why she becomes a part of the Hunters. But she does believe in justice for all. The Black Panthers were, power to all the people, right? And so even though it’s not her cause, she has to believe, if she believes that black people should be taken care of and protected and should have equal rights, she believes that all people should. So, but she does, as the season goes on, she starts to struggle with, is this really my fight? Should I be a part of this? Should I just watch over my daughter, myself and that be it? You’ll see what kind of decision she comes to.
The Knockturnal: Why is Joe so mysterious? And are we going to see more of his backstory throughout the series as it progresses?
Louis Ozawa: He’s got some demons to exercise and he’s afraid …
The Knockturnal: Does Mindy consider Jonah a son? And do you think she’s a bit more protective over him than the rest of the group?
Carol Kane: I don’t think I consider him my son. But, yes, he is a son to me. And I definitely am very protective of him and I wish that he had not become a part of us. Because I’m fighting for him.
The Knockturnal: And any of you guys can answer this, do you have any funny on-set stories from when you were filming that you can think of?
Louis Ozawa: Oh too many to count.
Tiffany Boone: Like what’s safe to share? Hahaha.
Louis Ozawa: Oh I have a good one, I have a good one. This has to do with Al. One day on set — this takes place in 1977 and he was so iconic then already but he was talking about, “Oh yeah my first film I was only okay. But around my second film I kinda figured it out.” And we go, “What film was that?” And he goes “The Godfather.”
Tiffany Boone: I said “Wow, you figured it out really quickly.”
The Knockturnal: Do you think the highly stylized structure of the show makes the storyline a bit more believable?
Tiffany Boone: I don’t know if it makes it more believable. But I do think, you know the flashbacks are super realistic. Right? And so, the respect we are trying to give to the atrocities of the Holocaust right? All of that heaviness, matched with the like heightened brightness, in your face, comic book style of the 70’s I think creates a good balance right? And it just gives you a moment to escape it for a second. And not have the violence in the 70’s feel as dark, if that makes sense.
The show is now available on Amazon.
